[turbo69bird]

Originally Posted by tom s

All the 2-4 V intakes have D numbers.Tom

Wasn’t saying they didn’t have that part number. But this one sure looks as magnesium as any magnesium wheel I’ve ever seen. Bill eckstrom and a previous owner also both told me it was magnesium. I just spoke with bill two days ago trying to get him to go online so people can ask him questions about the cars and racing them but he doesn’t have much interest in the internet. Sad cause a lot of guys know who he is an a lot on the hamb remember him from those days.

[turbo69bird]

Originally Posted by Matt Meaney

has this been a long term project? I remember seeing a V at Carlquist, has to be a few years ago now. single plane dual quad manifold. the block was modified at the top of the cylinders, so the ring pack on the pistons he had were too high and had to get a different set with them moved down lower.

it's great that this piece of history has been preserved and brought back to life. congrats to your friend.

The one at Carl quest was the same engine.

Matt didn’t I get a RAV crank from you or something back in the day for my IV car?

[sdbob]

I have the magazine that explained the car back then. Thanks. Locally a Pontiac friend Jim Miller acquired V heads back in 71 and a small journal moldex crank. It ran a 2bbl class-dominator cut in half.Placed engine in a dirt track 69 abody. The chebies went nuts. I saw the car run,Don would come off turn2 and be at turn 3 before the 454 chevies were half way down the straight. Engine was sold later, I was in college.it was impressive. The H-O racing's paper did a article on the car.

[Tom Vaught]

The original Doug Nash Tunnel Ram Intakes were cast using magnesium.
To the best of my Knowledge the RA-V intakes were aluminum. Even the Prototypes.

Ford did some "one off" 429 TRI-POWER HOLLEY carbs and intakes as well as 366 NASCAR
TRI-POWER HOLLEY carbs and intakes and they ALL were made using aluminum.

The confusion may be the Nash Intakes material being assumed to be across the RA-V
intake line too.

Tom V.

[scott70]

Originally Posted by Frank R

A few of you from the Northeast might remember Stephen Pontiac's race cars. A friend of mine purchased the Ram Air V from their 1970 Firebird race car back in the mid 70's. It changed hands a couple of times. Another friend picked it up 10 years ago and has it ready to drop in his 69 Trans Am street car. I watched a few of the dyno pulls but I had to leave before the final runs. They gave it more timing and it topped out at 630. He felt there was still more left. I don't have all the engine specs but I know it has stock ports heads, stroker crank and a solid roller cam. It still has the factory magnesium 2x4 intake that it was raced with only without the 2" spacers. It's a real shame in 1970 Pontiac didn't put these heads on a 455. Muscle car history would be different.

Cool history!! I always thought that about the 70 455...if they had put all the ra4 stuff ,,cam,rockers,heads,intake, carb,dist,etc. on the 455 that would of been one healthy engine!! Let alone the ra5 heads,,,yikes. Would of had to tone down the comp. ratio though with those small chambers.

[johnta1]

In 1970 they still had high octane gas (cheap too)

[tom s]

FYI,Dimitrie Toth who both he and his farther worked at GM said they never cast any mag only alu manifols.I always say never say never about engineering but I believe him.Tom

[Tom Vaught]

You already know this Tom S but in the Detroit area is a 1965 Aluminum Factory Tri-Power intake. Chuck Roberts saw it and painted his 1965 cast iron Tri-Power Intake to "Copy" the "looks" of that prototype 1965 aluminum intake using aluminum paint. I saw the aluminum intake in person.

Tom V.

[tom s]

I saw a alu 63 tripower intake years ago.Tom

[Frank R]

Just to update this engine was sold a few days ago. It will be installed in Stephen Pontiac’s old 1969 Firebird race car.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

a PY member owned the 69 Stephen's Bird for a long time
did the car get sold too ?

[Frank R]

Originally Posted by Baron Von Zeppelin

a PY member owned the 69 Stephen's Bird for a long time
did the car get sold too ?

The guy that purchased the Ram Air V name is Jeff. I’m not sure how long he’s owned Stephens’s old 69 or if he’s a board member.
I’m looking forward to seeing the finished car. Two great pieces of Pontiac racing history reunited.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Thanks Frank.
Appreciate you telling us about it 2 years ago, and updating us again now.
That was really considerate of you.

Very very cool that its going into the old 69 Stephen's RaceBird.
It was no big deal what material the intake was made from, it holds its value no matter what material it is.

That much power in a street car would lead me into a lot of trouble and a lot of broken parts. Did the previous owner ever install it into his street car 69 TA ?

[Frank R]

Originally Posted by Baron Von Zeppelin

Thanks Frank.

That much power in a street car would lead me into a lot of trouble and a lot of broken parts. Did the previous owner ever install it into his street car 69 TA ?

No it never was installed in the 69 Trans Am. I agree about it being too much power for a street car. I lobbied against it for three years. The original Ram Air III is going in. The restoration of that car should be complete this spring.

[Matt Meaney]

Originally Posted by turbo69bird

The one at Carl quest was the same engine.

Matt didn’t I get a RAV crank from you or something back in the day for my IV car?

yes you did, along with some other parts as well.

congrats on the new purchase. that bird's really going to fly with the V in there.

[turbo69bird]

Originally Posted by Matt Meaney

yes you did, along with some other parts as well.

congrats on the new purchase. that bird's really going to fly with the V in there.

Well I guess the cats out of the bag already isn’t it.

Not really worried about the HP it’s a puppy compared to my street turbo car at 960hp!
But that doesn’t mean it won’t be a whole lot of fun with the stick.
My car has two hoods. The 69, one with a cut out for dual quads and one with a solid hood both have cut for the RAIV pan. So I’ve been after this engine for a long time I actually was there before The past owner (who always gets there before me normally) when he bought it the first time but I saw a bunch of fords and 50 merc in the driveway and said ahh man Someone saw a tunnel port Ford and told me about it, had their story wrong And like a fool I left without going in.

Well it was the V and there was a IV and a III trans ams out back. Only KEN would have a front yard full of fords and back yard full of Pontiacs
He was a nice guy with a ton of stuff.

I never could get the whole story out of him how he’d acquired it.
I’d wanted to put the car and engine together for a long time , keep it all together-Bristol history I grew up about a block from
The original dealership on riverside ave.
Pretty happy I got it. I can’t thank Howard enough for keeping the history all together.

So I have the IV for it I raced it with for years, (many of you have probably seen it run) and now the V from the pro car.

I also have found some video of the pro car running down the track 1971 (really freaking cool) but because I don’t own the original copy rights, I can’t post it.

I don’t know why my car had the two hoods. That’s still a mystery. But this should settle in nicely
Int he cut hood sadly I’d gone through a lot of trouble to weld in a piece from
Another hood years ago taking so much care not to warp it, now I’ll have to cut it back out. But it’ll be worth it.

Spoke with Bill eckstrom and Tom
Mc innis both of whom drove the car and they were pretty excited too. Would have been cool on the T/A it was gonna go in but I think it wanted to be back home w a Stephens car.

A lot of people don’t know it but I runner upped with this Stephens car at high performance Pontiac day at English town maybe 1999 or so. Funny thing is my buddy Marc from plainville CT was on the cover that issue of the magazine. Red 71 bird.
I don’t think anyone knew it was a real RAIV car or the Stephens car at that time except me and few people .
Won the event a few years later with my turbo car .was a little harder w the 4spd. RAIV car.

[turbo69bird]

To answer another question I owned the 69 RAIV since 1989 raced it for 15 years 180 passes a year on average. Mostly in NETO and Pontiac events.
I had rolled my convertible and was looking for another body it was towed into a dealership at 1am when we were at the turnpike street racing and I bought it immediately the body was so clean w only 15k on the clock .everyone thought it was a 6cyl car w the IV transplanted including me . Later I PhS d the car and sure enough it was real.

I Found a RAIV convertible the same way my buddy chuck had the car (nothing original not one piece. Wrong color paint wrong color interior ,389 tri power in it, hood everything was different, I said to him damn you should PHS it you never know could be a IV car (I was half joking when I said it) cause it had holes under the dash or something from the cable bracket, can’t remember now. .sure enough came back a RAIV. What were the chances. It’s restored now the green convertible. Had that car in my garage for about 3 or so months.
Odd thing is my buddy Marc from Bristol told me for years he had a RAIV car that got painted red and I didn’t believe him probably was that car. And my other buddy, knew that car when it was new. Hung out w the owners brother .

[Frank R]

Originally Posted by turbo69bird

I never could get the whole story out of him how he’d acquired it. .

Ken purchased the V in Watertown from Jim Lavey. In the mid 70’s Jim was building a 69 GTO . He purchased a new set of Ram Air IV heads from Stephens. One of the guys in the parts department told him for the same money he would sell him the Ram Air V from their race car. If I remember correctly it had a bad piston. The roller cam was removed and someone put a new Ram Air IV cam in it so it would look more complete. ( I put that cam in a 69 Trans Am). Jim lost interest and put everything up for sale. I had the opportunity to purchase everything for 2K but dragged my feet. Ken purchased the engine and someone else the car.

[turbo69bird]

That’s great to get the story of how Ken ended up with it I remember those days you could buy a 400 4 spd Firebird in pretty good shape for $400 ��
You could buy a mint 60s vette for $1400 of course you’d have to wait in line on odd or even days for fuel to drive it. People were busy looking into new Datsun B210s instead of Ram air or cars .

Sadly we may be headed that way again soon for fuel. Gonna get scarce when everything is a plug in powered car.

[Mike Davis]

Anyway you can post some pics? Great history and I am sure many would like to see them.